Do You Have a Big Voice?

Establishing Your Voice Through Worldviews

You know a Palahniuk story when you read one.

In Chuck Palahniuk's Invisible Monsters and Diary there are moments in which the 4th Wall is broken. The protagonist/narrator of the story speaks directly to the reader and shares his or her worldview.

Example:

"All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring." 
— Chuck Palahniuk (Invisible Monsters)


While there is heavy criticism surrounding these moments - for instance, some cannot differentiate Big Voice from Little Darlings - spending a moment or two on the worldviews of a character can add much to the characterization in a story as well as establish the voice of the author.

Voice, in the opinion of many, is how an author communicates. For example, Ernest Hemingway used the Old-Man-In-The-Woods style of storytelling. That is, when one reads Hemingway, he or she knows the story is going to be told with a sort of aged wisdom. With Stephen King, the reader receives nearly every piece of the puzzle. Dean Koontz lets his characters trump the plot. And Richard Matheson uses a strong omniscient narrator.

Palahniuk's concept of Big Voice allows the reader to see the world from the main character's point-of-view, and he carries this style throughout many of his texts, which in turn creates the Palahniuk feel to narratives.

Of course, a reader is no fool. When these concepts are forced, everyone knows. Perhaps this is when Big Voice becomes Little Darlings. 

To read more on Big Voice vs. Little Voice, check out this essay. 

Remember, Big Voice happens when the story and morals are plaguing the writer's mind. Do be synthetic in your writing. . .

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